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Activists call for American Indian genocide monument near Moscow US embassy
RT | January 12, 2016
Russian activists are requesting permission to install a monument near the US embassy in Moscow dedicated to the genocide of American Indians. A member of the Russian Public Chamber says the move could soon get official support.
The activists have launched a petition in support of the monument on the change.org website. It says that "despite assuming the position of a 'global policeman' the United States still refuses to accept the responsibility for killing over 15 million Native Americans."
The petition goes on to call for public support for the monument, which would be dedicated to "the memory of American Indians who perished as heroes in the unfair war with treacherous invaders."
According to the author of the document, the request will be forwarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, and to the Russian Public Chamber.
Public Chamber member Valery Korovin said in comments to RIA Novosti that the petition was timely and official support for it was very likely.
"The initiative to install this monument is very urgent today because it would remind everyone how the history of the United States started. It must become a silent reproach to the modern-day American elites who have seriously diverged from the ideals that were made a foundation of American statehood," Korovin told reporters.
He also noted that activists should consider a separate petition calling on the US Congress to recognize the genocide of American Indians and to pass a law on the rehabilitation of Native Americans – which is necessary for the US "be done with this dark spot in their history."
"Without the repentance of US society it is impossible to talk about this country's leadership. The United States now has no moral right to speak about the rights and freedoms of any ethnic groups," he added.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Timeless or most popular | American Indians, Native Americans, Russia, United States | 1 Comment
Spanish council joins boycott of Israel
MEMO | January 12, 2016
Spain's United Left party has adopted the call for the global boycott of Israel (BDS), with the support of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, as members of the Castrillon City Council in the Asturias province voted in favour of the campaign.
Having reviewed the reasons for adopting the BDS campaign, the general coordinator of the Unified Left, Jose Luis Garrido, called on other Spanish cities to take the same action and to boycott Israel at all levels until it withdraws from the occupied territories and respects international law and the rights of the Palestinian people to independence and freedom.
In his speech before members of the municipal council he highlighted international laws and United Nations resolutions that Israel has not implemented. He also mentioned the illegality of the settlements and the Separation Wall, in addition to the issue of refugees, Israel's racist policies and the suffering of the residents of the Gaza Strip.
This move comes in light of similar decisions to boycott Israeli which were made by other Spanish institutions, the most recent being the University of Barcelona.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation, Solidarity and Activism | Human rights, Israel, Palestine, Spain, Zionism | 2 Comments
'Don't let people die': Turkish TV show investigated after caller's plea for end to violence
A TV show in Turkey has been accused of "terrorist propaganda" and faces an investigation after a caller lamented the deaths of civilians, including children, who have been killed in the on-going conflict between Kurdish forces and the Turkish army.
The prosecutor's office in Bakirkoy district, Istanbul, said it was checking the recording of Friday night's Beyaz Show broadcast on Kanal D. It is also investigating the caller, the host and those responsible for the program, according to leading Turkish newspaper Milliyet.
On January 8, well-known Turkish host Beyazit Ozturk, who had never previously brought politics into his show, received a call from a woman identifying herself as Ayse Celik, a teacher from the southeastern Diyarbakir province.
"Are you aware of what is happening in the southeast?" she asked, as quoted by newspaper Today's Zaman.
She continued, saying that what is being shown on Turkish TV "is very different from what we are experiencing [in the region]."
"Do not remain silent. Please have some kind of sensitivity as a human. See us, hear us and please extend a helping hand to us. It is a pity. Don't let people die, don't let children die and don't let mothers cry," she said.
Ozturk initially thanked the woman for her remarks and the audience applauded.
"We have been trying to get people to hear about what is happening as much as we can. What you said has taught us a lesson. We will continue to do more. I hope your wishes for peace come true as soon as possible," he said.
But later he backtracked and apologized for the remarks.
Following the incident Kanal D, a nation-wide Turkish television channel and part of Dogan Media Group, said they had been subjected to provocation.
"The Kanal D administration will launch all necessary legal action against this person in the face of this provocation," the statement read.
In the meantime, the Education Ministry released a statement claiming that Celik, the caller, was not a teacher in Diyarbakır.
Turkey has repeatedly been accused of increasing censorship and a media crackdown. In December the authorities fined Twitter 150,000 Turkish lira (US$51,000) for not removing content allegedly containing "terrorist propaganda, encouraging public acts of violence and hatred," sources in Turkey's communication technology watchdog told media outlets.
Ankara also previously temporarily blocked Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for failing to remove content deemed illegal or banned.
In November a Turkish prosecutor asked a court to imprison the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, pending trial for espionage and treason. The outlet had published photos of weapons it said were then transferred to Syria by Turkey's intelligence agency.
'Erdogan was in a fix': Jailed Cumhuriyet chief on why Turkey punished journos for Syria revelations
READ MORE: Turkey fines Twitter $51,000 for 'terrorist propaganda' – reports
READ MORE: Turkish newspaper editor in court for 'espionage' after revealing weapon convoy to Syrian militants
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, War Crimes | Human rights, Turkey | Leave a comment
Israel receives fifth German nuclear-capable submarine
Press TV – January 12, 2016
The Israeli regime has received of a fifth submarine from Germany, amid pressure on Berlin to halt the delivery of the state-of-the-art weaponry that is capable of being armed with nuclear warheads.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday welcomed the delivery of the advanced Dolphin-class submarine at the Haifa port north of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The submarine, said to be capable of remaining submerged for up to seven days, can be equipped with missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
The Tel Aviv regime pursues a 'policy of ambiguity' over its nuclear arsenal, which is widely believed to contain up to 400 nukes.
The new submarine has cost Israel about 500 million euros (USD 540 million), with the German government paying one third of the cost. Berlin is also to deliver a sixth submarine in two or three years.
Many have criticized Germany for the sales of the modern military equipment to Israel.
The administration of German Chancellor Angela Markel claims Germany has an obligation to guarantee the security of Israel.
German media say the delivery of the four previous Dolphin-class submarines have cost German taxpayers over 1 billion euros (USD 1.12 billion).
Israel's ministry of military affairs announced in May 2015 that it had reached a deal with a German shipbuilding company to have four major warships built for the Tel Aviv regime. It said the government in Berlin would pay for one fourth of the deal, which was reported to be more than 400 million euros.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Militarism | Germany, Israel, Zionism | 3 Comments
MADAYA: LETTER OF COMPLAINT TO CBC OMBUDSMAN
wallwillfall | January 12, 2016
Letter written to the CBC ombdusman by an informed member of the public in Canada, enraged by the blatant anti Syrian stance in the CBC reporting of the Madaya "starvation" situation.
I have counted The Current and CBC news as among the most reliable sources of news and information we have. I consider myself an informed listener and I consult with many and diverse news sources to get the fullest and clearest understanding of world affairs possible.
That's why it is disappointing, and sometimes infuriating when I hear the CBC reduced to an echo chamber and propaganda conveyance when it comes to news from the Middle East.
The CBC's use of unreliable and unverified sources and information that presents and thus promotes only one side of events, and a distorted one at that, is shocking to me. Is it due to cutbacks that you are unable to have investigative reporting from conflict areas that reports on all sides of an event, or is there something more sinister going on exercising editorial control over what Canadians are allowed to hear from the Middle East via our national broadcaster?
Specifically, I was very upset to hear The Current's Jan 8th report with Lyse Doucet on the situation in Madaya, Syria that gave a completely distorted and misinformed picture of the siege of this town (and several others that are getting zero news coverage).
The presenter relied on only one source, a citizen journalist named Rami Jarrah who works for the George Soros funded ANA Press, and is a self-avowed advocate and spokesperson for the terrorist factions, disingenuously called "the opposition" by uncritical media, that has the town of Madaya and several others in the West and North of Syria under militant siege. It is these Islamist militants–Ahrar al Sham and al Qaeda– that seized the food aid delivered by the ICRC last October–meant to last for 2 months–and is keeping the towns people on starvation rations, stockpiling the food then trying to sell it to the towns people for obscene prices.
Why isn't that being reported on?
It is the militants that are refusing to let the townspeople leave to find refuge in safe zones. It is these militants who are starving and killing them. These Islamist militants, "the opposition" as propagandists call them, are using the starving people under their control to deceive the world, including the use of now exposed deceptive pictures of starving people stolen from the internet to foment outrage–pictures that are uncritically and irresponsibly used by media outlets like the CBC as some kind of "proof" that the Assad regime is responsible for this suffering.
While these areas of conflict are surrounded by government forces, it is the terrorists occupying the villages that are not surrendering and continue to use people as human shields ad for propaganda. Did The Current or is the CBC news desk presenting any of this balance at all to your stories on Syria? No. You are being played, and worse are a willing participant in a one-sided, anti-Syrian government, pro-Syria destruction campaign.
Why Madaya?
Why fake pictures?
These are the questions you should be asking. The answer is because Jarrah and these "humanitarian interventionists" are using and abusing these civilians to enlist more western involvement.
You are not listening to any of the voices coming from inside Syria because you seem to value those minority voices outside Syria that are vying for overthrow of the government and seek to grasp power for themselves in lockstep with western hegemonic agendas.
Thus you are not doing your job.
What you are promoting, maybe inadvertently, maybe not, is for Syria to be devastated by NATO the way Iraq and Libya were, and not for the human rights of the people of Syria.
So shame on you.
This is despicable and my respect for the CBC has diminished significantly.
I urge the CBC to return to it's roots of unbiased investigative journalism and be committed to the truth so that I can feel confidence again to tune into CBC news and trust we are getting the best information.
Balance your blatantly biased sources with "the other side"– the Syrian government that is backed by the vast majority of Syrian people, and the Syrian doctors and activists that are actually working to free their country from the terrorists!! Listen to the Syrians INSIDE SYRIA!
Why would you NOT do that?
Annette Lengyel
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Deception, Mainstream Media, Warmongering | Canada, CBC, Lyse Doucet, Syria, The Current | 2 Comments
Metadata Comes Home With New 'Threat Score' Policing Tools
Law enforcement agencies rolling out technology that lets them dig into metadata to determine a citizen's potential for violence
New software like "Beware" calculates a "threat score" using metadata, which critics say threatens civil liberties and privacy rights. (Photo: Jeffrey Smith/flickr/cc)
By Nadia Prupis | Common Dreams | January 11, 2016
Police in the U.S. are rolling out new technology that gives them "unprecedented" power to spy on citizens and determine their "threat score" based on metadata, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Fresno, California's police department was one of the first to adopt the software, known as "Beware," which allows officers to analyze "billions of data points, including arrest reports, property records, commercial databases, deep Web searches and… social-media postings" to calculate an individual's alleged potential for violence, the Post explained.
Officers say the tool, made by a company called Intrado, can help them thwart mass shootings and other attacks like the ones that took place in Paris and San Bernardino last year. But critics say it's just another weapon in the mass surveillance arsenal, one that further threatens privacy and civil liberties and fuels police overreach.
Journalist D. Brian Burghart, who operates FatalEncounters.org, a searchable database of police killings of citizens, told Common Dreams that the swell of surveillance technology was an "outgrowth" of post-9/11 fear-mongering. "I'm not sure what's new about this except they put a name on it," Burghart said. "I don't think it's going to get any better. Nobody ever puts away technology."
Jennifer Lynch, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Post, "This is something that's been building since September 11. First funding went to the military to develop this technology, and now it has come back to domestic law enforcement. It's the perfect storm of cheaper and easier-to-use technologies and money from state and federal governments to purchase it."
Rob Nabarro, a civil rights lawyer in Fresno, added, "It's a very unrefined, gross technique. A police call is something that can be very dangerous for a citizen."
The Post continues:
Nabarro said the fact that only Intrado — not the police or the public — knows how Beware tallies its scores is disconcerting. He also worries that the system might mistakenly increase someone's threat level by misinterpreting innocuous activity on social media, like criticizing the police, and trigger a heavier response by officers.
A potential threat that comes from an individual should not be addressed by a machine, he said.
In addition to Beware, police departments are equipping officers with tools like Media Sonar, which analyzes social media for "illicit activity," among other technology, the Post reported.
Others criticized the implementation of such law enforcement tools while police brutality remains widespread and activists continue to call for an overhaul of the policing system.
Matt Cagle, an attorney for the ACLU of Northern California, told the Post, "We think that whenever these surveillance technologies are on the table, there needs to be a meaningful debate. There needs to be safeguards and oversight."
The Post described one incident in which the Fresno police department demonstrated Beware at a town hall meeting following constituent complaints about the use of invasive surveillance technology:
[One] council member referred to a local media report saying that a woman's threat level was elevated because she was tweeting about a card game titled "Rage," which could be a keyword in Beware's assessment of social media.
Councilman Clinton J. Olivier, a libertarian-leaning Republican, said Beware was like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel and asked [Fresno Chief of Police Jerry] Dyer a simple question: "Could you run my threat level now?"
Dyer agreed. The scan returned Olivier as a green, but his home came back as a yellow, possibly because of someone who previously lived at his address, a police official said.
"[Beware] has failed right here with a council member as the example," Olivier said.
As Burghart added, "I spend eight hours a day researching police violence, so I don't know how many times I've typed the words 'police killed.' I imagine I'd probably score pretty good on this thing. Most journalists would."
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Corruption, Full Spectrum Dominance | Human rights, United States | Leave a comment
UK Intelligence Committee to be denied access to drone strike information, says PM
Reprieve – January 12, 2016
Members of the UK's Parliamentary intelligence watchdog will not be allowed access to all intelligence or defence information relating to the new British practice of targeted killing by drone, the Prime Minister has said.
David Cameron was asked today by Andrew Tyrie MP whether the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) would be allowed to examine the military aspect of the targeted killing programme, and whether he would commit to the Committee's security-cleared members being able to see all the relevant intelligence.
Mr Cameron refused on both points, stating that the ISC's job was to examine intelligence, not military affairs, and that he could not give the commitment Mr Tyrie asked for regarding the Committee's access to intelligence. Mr Tyrie pointed out that what the Committee is allowed to see remains under the control of the Secretary of State, and that its work on targeted killing "could be rendered meaningless" if it were barred from looking at the military operation.
The Prime Minister was taking questions from the House of Commons Liaison Committee, composed of the chairs of the various select committees. He was also asked questions on targeted killing by drone by Harriet Harman MP, chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) which is currently carrying out an inquiry into the issue. She asked whether he would publish the UK Government's policy on drone strikes – Mr Cameron responded that he had already set out his position to the Commons, but that publishing a written policy might "get us into more difficulties."
Commenting, Kat Craig, legal director at international human rights organization Reprieve said: "Despite the Prime Minister's assurances to the contrary, the UK's targeted killing programme is entirely ambiguous and shrouded in secrecy. Just because it may take a bit of effort to formulate a policy, it does not mean the Government can wholesale refuse to do so. In fact, the Government is under a legal obligation to formulate a policy, especially when we're talking about state killing. Moreover, the Prime Minister's refusal to share vital information with the ISC raises the disturbing possibility that – much like the controversial US drone programme – UK targeted killing may be beyond accountability and oversight."
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Deception, Timeless or most popular, War Crimes | David Cameron, Human rights, UK | 3 Comments
A Terrorist Under Every Bed
Media hypes the terrorism panic
By Philip Giraldi • Unz Review • January 12, 2016
I have written frequently on how the terrorist threat is routinely hyped to serve a number of special interests in the United States and elsewhere in the world. In many countries, including most recently Saudi Arabia and Turkey, anyone who is a critic of the existing government is routinely labeled a "terrorist" as that justifies taking harsh and often extralegal steps to confront him or her. In reality, the likelihood of being killed by a terrorist almost anywhere but an active war zone is miniscule. In the U.S. it is so small as to be statistically insignificant but the public has been led to believe that heavily armed Islamic militants are lurking around every corner.
The vast majority of mass shootings in the United States are, in fact, carried out by white males who are at least nominally Christian in upbringing. Some of the incidents are subsequently described as domestic terrorism but most are labeled only as crimes and are treated routinely through the criminal justice system. Muslim attackers plausibly linked to terrorist groups, who dominate the media driven frenzy, have killed fewer than 45 Americans since September 12, 2001, slightly more than 3 a year, a toll that would hardly seem to justify the enormous expense and surrendering of civil liberties that have been part and parcel of the "global war on terror."
Those of us who bother to monitor the groups that comprise part of the vast "terrorism business" are aware that the whole process runs on a number of essentially symbiotic relationships. The FBI needs to make terrorism arrests, so it uses paid informants to encourage otherwise harmless young men to embrace violence. Federal prosecutors who require terrorism convictions to pad their resumes call in phony expert witnesses like Evan Kohlmann who will basically support arguments that someone is a terrorist derived from internet based analysis that many would consider highly questionable.
The big money, however, goes to the think tanks and foundations, which are all politically aligned in one fashion or another and which are adept at providing seeming intellectual rigor to justify every point of view while keeping the taxpayer provided cash flowing. The foundations and think tanks thereby actually do considerable damage to the country by continuing wars that do not have to be fought and by wasting national resources that could certainly be put to better use.
I recently noted a couple of articles that hype the terror threat on behalf of well-funded groups that are in the terror business. One op-ed piece by Matthew Levitt entitled "Fighting terrorism takes more than drones" actually is largely sensible about legislation to fund anti-terrorism efforts at local levels worldwide until it goes off on a tangent, describing how it is necessary to "raise awareness about Iran's and Hezbollah's broad ranges of terrorist and criminal activities around the world" then adding that "Hezbollah is poised to get an infusion of money from Iran." The reader might well note that Hezbollah and Iran are themselves on the front line fighting IS and the assertion regarding the omnipresence of their own terrorist activity is somewhat difficult to support, unless one is thinking about the spurious claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been making. Which is perhaps precisely the point as Levitt heads the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), which is an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) creation. It is a major component of the Israel Lobby.
Another talking head who regularly appears in the Washington Post is Marc Thiessen. His December 21st piece is entitled "U.S. lets in four times as many suspected terrorists as it keeps out." The claim is based on State Department statistics indicating that since 9/11 2,231 foreigners were denied U.S. visas based on suspected terrorism related issues while 9,500 more had visas issued but later revoked after issuance due to possible terrorist links or activities. When asked how many of the suspected terrorists who have revoked visas might still be in the United States, a State Department spokesman replied "I don't know."
Thiessen sees the revoked visa issue as an indication that the screening system does not work which is certainly arguable, but his rant is inevitably conflating a number of issues that are not necessarily linked while also assuming a worst case scenario as a result. He speculates that there must be many more "terrorists" who gamed the system successfully and did not have their visas revoked at all. He cites Tashfeen Malik, the distaff half of the San Bernardino shooters, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 2009 underwear bomber. Neither had a visa revoked before they undertook a terrorist act. Which means they beat the system and there are certainly others who have done likewise.
Marc Thiessen indeed has a point when he observes that there must be some genuine terrorists who have obtained visas to travel to the United States. Screening potential visitors from the third world and war zones means having to deal with a lack of reliable documentation coupled with numerous desperate individuals prepared to lie to get a visa. That's why you rely on a skilled and frequently skeptical American Embassy visa officer to make the call if there is any doubt about credentials. The Thiessen alternative would apparently be to ban all travelers who fit certain profiles that he would no doubt be able to provide, i.e. all Muslims. He advocates in his article stopping the entry of all Syrian refugees, for example, because they cannot be properly assessed, which inevitably punishes the legitimate refugees who can be vetted.
Thiessen's complaining lacks context. First of all, the number of revoked visas is relatively small when spread out over fifteen years. There are a lot of good reasons why a visa status might be changed and one should bear in mind that a state department officer will always err on the side of caution, revoking a visa if there is even a miniscule possibility that someone might have been radicalized. Without further information on what actually constitutes a "possible terrorist connection" it is impossible to determine what kind of threat actually exists, if any, but Thiessen is willing to take a plunge anyway. And it might be noted that even a legitimate U.S. government concern about one's politics perhaps derived from comments on social media does not necessarily make one a terrorist. It should be reassuring to Thiessen rather than alarming to learn that the State Department is reviewing travel status even after visas are issued.
And Thiessen plays the threat card, implying that many of the visa holders might still be in the United States without providing any evidence that that is the case. Some might never have made the trip and one has to suspect that the vast majority of those who did visit are long since gone, having done absolutely nothing in the interim.
Indeed, Thiessen could just as easily have asked how many holders of revoked visas have committed terrorist acts or crimes in the United States since 9/11, but he avoids that question for obvious reasons. The answer is none and the FBI has no evidence to suggest that there are revoked visa holders currently in place in terrorist cells planning mayhem. One would think that if the point of terrorism is to do something that creates fear then the revoked passport holders have essentially failed in their mission unless someone reads Thiessen and believes what he is saying.
And oh yes, Thiessen works for the reliably neocon American Enterprise Institute (AEI), which is largely funded by defense contractors who have a vested interest in spending the taxpayers' money to "keep Americans safe." Back under the Bush administration Dick Cheney used to go to AEI when he had something important to say, trusting that the audience there would be his kind of people. They were his kind then and they still are.
And Thiessen continues to carry water for his old team. He was the principal speechwriter for George W. Bush and his first book, endorsed by Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, was entitled Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack. The book has been heavily criticized for numerous errors of fact and also due to its advocacy of torture "as lawful and morally just" but the reader of the op-ed in the Post would not know any of that. It's how bad ideas circulate through the media and are given credibility, a mechanism that the "war on terror" fraudsters understand all too well.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Deception, Mainstream Media, Warmongering, Timeless or most popular | AEI, American Enterprise Institute, Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United States, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington Post, WINEP | 1 Comment
HDP deputies: Killings of 12 young men in Van, eastern Turkey were executions
ANF News, published by Kurdish Daily News, January 10, 2016
VAN – 12 youths aged between 18-25 have been executed as a result of a house-raid conducted by Turkish terrorists in the central Edremit district of Van province early this morning. ID details of the youths remain unknown.
HDP Van MP Lezgin Botan who spoke to ANF about the incident said bodies of 12 youths, all aged 18-25, have been taken to a hospital morgue. Botan said the youths were shot in the head, and described the incident as not a clash but mass execution. He added that police forces have blockaded the scene of the executions and hospital where youths are being held now.
HDP Van deputy Tugba Hezer told that; "Apart from one, all have been shot in the head. They are all young people in civilian clothes, as has been conveyed to us by those who saw the bodies. Not every single one of them can possible be shot in the head during a clash. It is not possible. This is a mass execution. Police have evacuated and entirely blockaded the hospital."
Police disperse protesters in Turkey's east, deputy injured
By Cihan News Agency, published by Hurriyet Daily News, January 11, 2016
VAN, eastern Turkey – Police dispersed protesters who were staging a sit-in against a Jan. 10 police raid into a house of militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the eastern province of Van's Edremit district on Jan. 11, detaining many.
Members of the provincial center of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) gathered in front of its headquarters to make a press statement as some shopkeepers in the district also refused to open their shops to protest the recent police raid. HDP provincial organization members staged a sit-in before the statement. However, police dispersed the crowd with pressurized water and detained a number of protesters.
Meanwhile, HDP Van deputy Lezgin Botan was injured during the police action and has been reported to be in good condition.
Police special forces raided a two-story house around 5 a.m. on Jan. 10, following a tip-off that its occupants were planning a large-scale attack in Van. Twelve suspected PKK militants in the house, along with an officer identified as Önder Ertas, were killed in the raid, which also injured two other officers, as the security forces seized weapons and ammunition in the house.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Deception, Subjugation - Torture | Human rights, PKK, Turkey | Leave a comment
URGENT CALL FROM TURKEY'S HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey | January 6, 2016
With the interruption of the peace talks, the government of Turkey started, in mid-August, to implement a security policy that unlawfully restricts fundamental rights and freedoms in those cities and towns largely populated by Kurds.
Since August 2015, long-term and consecutive curfews have been declared in the provinces of, and the towns attached to Şırnak, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Hakkari and Muş, and are still underway in certain cities and towns. During these prohibitions, national and international media, human rights or professional organizations as well as representatives of the parliament who wanted to identify violations of rights have been denied access to these cities and towns. According to the findings in reports drawn up by the very small number of civil society organizations which could make their way into the region in the face of huge obstacles, it has been determined that the civilian population has become the target of both snipers and heavy weaponry, which has been used in an arbitrary fashion.
According to reports prepared by rights based organizations, 1,3 million people have been impacted by the curfews; more than 120 civilians –including children and the elderly– have lost their lives[1]. Many people have been injured, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Arbitrary detentions and arrests have occurred; and civilians are being subjected to torture and maltreatment in detention centres and in the open. Intrusion in telecommunication networks restricts the right to information and freedom of communication. By an official decision to send away teachers from the region, education has been disrupted without a deadline, and health services have also been suspended. Due diligence in protecting civilians is not being demonstrated in any sense and they are not even provided the opportunity to meet minimum daily needs such as the right to food and water. After the curfews, no immediate and explicitly effective investigations have been conducted. Trial and punishment of those security forces that violate rights are being rendered impossible. The policy of impunity expands and continues, getting more severe.
Although curfews have been declared pursuant to article 11/C of the Provincial Administrations Law, with the justification "apprehending the members of the terrorist organization" and "ensuring the physical safety of the people and their properties", jurists largely agree that the aforementioned law does not entitle the relevant senior public officer to declare such a prohibition, which would impact the rights and freedoms of the entire people living in a city or a town. Pursuant to constitutional article 13, such a restriction can only be introduced through 'law'. Curfews declared upon the governorate's instructions are in breach of the constitution. The fact that the framework of the curfews and the sanctions thereof are not subject to the law means that security operations conducted in this period and rights violations too are not subject to any legal supervision.
Other than in times of war, in populated areas where a state of emergency or martial law has not been declared, the security forces are not entitled to use heavy weaponry and ammunition in violation of the principle of absolute necessity without ensuring evacuation of the civilian population. During the planning, command and control of operations alleged to serve the purpose of protecting the lives of civilians from unlawful violence, it is unacceptable to perpetrate arbitrary and disproportionate force which does not accord to the duty of care expected from the state in a democratic society. The lethal force used by the government of Turkey in the aforementioned provinces and districts is currently in gross violation of the principle of proportionality to be ensured between the intended objective and the force used for this purpose in a democratic society.
The environment of conflict unfolding has turned human rights defenders into targets of state violence and political assassination. President of the Diyarbakır Bar Association and human rights defender Tahir Elçi was killed while he was delivering a press statement whereby he called for an end to security operations and resumption of peace negotiations.
The situation is dire and our call is urgent!
As civil society organisations we demand the international community to remind the Government of Republic of Turkey that:
curfews declared in the absence of any legal basis are unacceptable,
lethal force cannot be used by any means whatsoever in a disproportionate and arbitrary fashion,
during security operations obligations stemming from international human rights law, international criminal law as well as the humanitarian law cannot be suspended,
human rights organisations, professional organisations, representatives of local government and of the Parliament, struggling to end, identify and penalise right violations and to reflect the process in total transparency to the international community, should be supported, and
we call for a bilateral ceasefire, the cessation of conflict and the resumption of peace negotiations to be carried out in an official and transparent manner in the presence of independence observers.
Signatory members of the Coalition Against Impunity
Batman Bar Association, Diyarbakır Bar Association, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly – Turkey, Human Rights Agenda Association, Human Rights Association, Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Şırnak Bar Association, Truth, Justice and Memory Center
[1] Updated numbers on violations of the right to life as a result of curfew by different sources are as follows: According to figures of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey's Documentation Center, as of January 6, 2016, at least 151 civilians have lost their lives within the period of the declared curfews in 17 towns of 7 districts. According to Human Rights Association's Documentation Unit, from the start of armed conflict in July 24, 2015 until January 6, 2016, 134 civilians living in cities with declared curfews have lost their lives. 12 people have lost their lives in the year 2016 during curfews in towns of Sur, Cizre and Silopi. People's Democratic Party's Information Center which also daily monitor the violations of the right to life, state number of people who lost their lives to be 152 as of January 6, 2016.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Subjugation - Torture | Human rights, Turkey | Leave a comment
Turkey Bans Media From Publishing Information on Istanbul Explosion
Turkish authorities introduced a gag order on the media on Tuesday to restrict the dissemination of information about the explosion that shook Istanbul earlier that day, local media reported.
The ban on the distribution of information will affect all kinds of news, interviews, analyses and other article formats in the printed press, on television, on the radio, via social networks and on the Internet, Anadolu news agency reported.
The decision will take effect immediately, once all Turkish media outlets have been officially notified by Ankara, according to the agency.
At least 10 people died and 15 were injured in an explosion in Istanbul's historical center earlier on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Civil Liberties, Deception, Full Spectrum Dominance | Human rights, Turkey | Leave a comment
Madaya hunger reports aim to demonize government: Syria
Syria's ambassador to the UN says media reports of starving civilians in the southwestern town of Madaya have been fabricated in an attempt to defame the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
"Actually, there was no starvation in Madaya," Bashar Ja'afari told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, where the UN Security Council met to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
Jaafari said journalists from the Qatari-owned al-Jazeera broadcaster and the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV network are "mainly responsible for fabricating these allegations and lies."
He said false information about starvation deaths in the Syrian town are aimed at "demonizing" Damascus and "torpedoing" peace negotiations due in the Swiss city of Geneva on January 25.
The Syrian diplomat also said aid delivered to Madaya in October had been looted by terrorist groups and sold to civilians at high prices.
"The Syrian government is not and will not exert any policy of starvation on its own people," he said, adding the "terrorists are stealing humanitarian assistance."
On Monday, a convoy of 44 trucks loaded with food, baby formula, blankets and other supplies entered Madaya. An equivalent amount of aid would also arrive in two other besieged towns of Foua and Kefraya.
The Syrian government recently agreed to facilitate the flow of relief aid into Madaya, which has been the scene of fierce clashes between pro-government forces and Takfiri elements.
Locals told the Lebanese al-Manar TV on Sunday that terrorist groups had stored aid packages for Madaya and sold it to the locals at inflated prices.
According to the UN, up to 4.5 million people live in hard-to-reach areas of Syria which has witnessed a deadly conflict fueled by foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists since March 2011.
Over 260,000 people have reportedly lost their lives while millions of others have been forced to flee their homes due to the violence.
January 12, 2016 Posted by aletho | Deception, Mainstream Media, Warmongering | Al Jazeera, Human rights, Madaya, Middle East, Qatari, Saudi Arabia, Syria | 2 Comments
Peter on Australian Health Authorities…


This course provides investigators and prosecutors with the knowledge and tools they need to respond to the growing problem of investment fraud. Topics include what constitutes a security, using the Howey Test to determine if a particular offering is a security, identifying investment fraud schemes, and investigative strategies for working with victims and perpetrators. The course also covers fraud prevention strategies, and students are provided with additional resources for both prevention and investigation.
This course is presented in partnership with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
Securities basics. What is a security? The Howey Test. Registration of securities.
Securities fraud. State-specific content. What constitutes securities fraud? Statutes. Penalties.
Investigation. Red flags of fraud. Investigative techniques. Following the money. Case studies.
Prevention and resources. Typical victims. Risk factors. The FINRA Foundation. Local experts.


The Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo held on November 9 and 10, in Boxborough, MA was a great success with over 800 attending.
Sue Adams (NEF President), Mark Adams Greenhouses in Poughkeepsie, NY hosted the Dazed and Infused Educational Cocktail the evening before the conference. According to Sue, "Everyone loved the Rosemary Infused White Wine Sangria."
The educational sessions on pest management were all well attended. Dan Gilrein, Extension Entomologist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is sharing Tips on Thrips, Pot Drips, Mite Blips and Neonic Hit, Management Matters, from 2016.
Spanish language sessions were held for the first time and were much appreciated. Carlos Bogran, Technical Manager from OHP is sharing his knowledge with everyone.
5-5-5 Best Ideas for Marketing Grower Panel featured 5 panelists, including Sue Adams, Kirsten Smith Maskell, Teri Boardman, and Dustyn Nelson who shared what worked to attract customers and attract sales.
Inspiring and right to the point. Great session!
Thank you to our 2016 conference sponsors and exhibitors! Thank you for joining us and to everyone who helped make the conference a success.


text:
Q: How can I get the redirect url using javascript? I'm having trouble showing urls with redirect with an automation tool i'm using so I'm thinking of checking the url for redirects first before opening the popup.
Is it possible to get the redirect URL using javascript (no jquery or other js framework as this is not supported by the tool)?
Thanks!

A: In theory, yes. In practice, probably not.
In theory you could do an XHR head request to the URL, then check the location header to see if what you asked for is what you ended up getting. XHR will automatically follow 301/302 redirects, so there's no use checking the status code - Is it possible for XHR HEAD requests to not follow redirects (301 302)
In practice, unless the domain you're asking is your domain, or has a Access-Control-Allow-Origin header (I think it's header), the request will fail due to cross site request restrictions. HEAD XMLHttpRequest on Chromium
If you've got access to the server running your tool, you should be able to whip up a "proxy" page that issues the HEAD request, then you can XHR call your server page and it would return where the HEAD request said you'd end up.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


"Crane Schools Where Excellence is the Expectation "
Prom Friday April 19th from 8:00-11:00 at the Elks Lodge. The Elks will be closed to outside people that night.
Our home track meet, the Ranchers Invitational is scheduled for Tuesday April 30th. We need volunteers to help run the track meet. If you can help please contact Jamie Siegner or Darwin Dunten. Thanks for your help.
The Crane Middle School has a Job Opening for a Middle School Volleyball Coach. Call the office for more information.
2019 Kindergarten Round Up Information April 23, 2019, at 3:15 pm at Crane Elementary School.
Crane Union High School's homeless student policy is available for viewing by following this link.
Weekly Quote: " I wish summer could just come already"
How many students at Crane Union High School are vaccinated?


With ChefCare you can spend your time and effort instead on what you do best!
ChefCare lets you focus on your customers and solve problems proactively to keep them loyal and coming back.
Is software that replies to customers automatically the key to success in e-commerce? Ask the doctor.
This indispensable tool for business has a huge dark side that can bring mail servers – and workers' productivity – to a halt.


Can anyone tell me if the Kids Club at the Rawai Palm is the type that you can leave the kids there and have a break for a while? Is their much for the kids to do to be involved in the way of programs? Is the comment I read on this forum correct about no fridges in any of the rooms except the Family Room, how do you have a Mini Bar without a bar fridge?
There is no kids care or play area,in my room there was a bar fridge stocked ,unsualy u never had one ;did u call front desk ?
Hi . What is there to do at an evening near this hotel eg bars restaurants. We recently have been to Karon and enjoy the live bands etc .
"Le stanze migliori sono quelle con la piscina privata al piano terra"
"ottime le stanza affacciate sulla piscina"
"stanza secondo piano meglio e piu' silenziose e luminose"
"Ai piani bassi dalla terrazza della propria camera si può accedere direttamente in piscina"
"evitate le stanze dell`ala sulla strada"


text:
March 11, 2019 Ken Filler
Kucherov sets scoring record in Lightning win
What a season this is turning out to be for Nikita Kucherov. With his two goals in last nights 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings.
At 11:56 of the first period Kucherov took a pass from Braydon Point and rifled a shot past Detroit goaltender Jonathan Bernier for his 32nd goal of the season to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead and that would give Kucherov point number 109 on the season passing all-time Lightning great Vincent Lecavalier who had the record with 108 points.
Then in the third period Kucherov notched his 33rd goal of the season to give him
110 points on the season. The only player close to Kucherov in point total for the season is Patrick Kane of Chicago who has 97 points.
"Kuch is an unbelievable player," Lecavalier said in a statement provided by the team. "He is so dominant and talented that it is no wonder he broke my Lightning record for most points in a season. I'd like to personally congratulate Nikita for the accomplishment and wish him and the team further success as they approach the playoffs."
The Lightning have 13 games yet to play so Kucherov will definitely add to his record in the weeks ahead.
It is a great accomplishment to get to 100 points in any season. Since the turn of the century Joe Thornton of the Sharks has tallied the most points in a season with 125.
Jamior Jagr of the Penguins has the second most points this century as he put up 121 during the 2000-01 season.
Kucherov should break the mark set by Joe Thornton as he is on pace to get between 125-130 points. This would also be the most points ever scored in a season by a Russian hockey player.
Kucherov would have more points in a season than Alex Ovechkin who some consider the greatest Russian NHL player of all-time. Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Federov, Alexander Mogilny have never come close to the points that Kucherov will put up.
This is Kucherov's fifth full -time season in the NHL and he has put up 444 points. Kucherov is just 25 years old and is just coming into his prime. It is not out of the question to think that barring an injury, by the time he is 30 years old he will become the all-time leader in points in Tampa Bay Lightning history.
Kucherov is under contact through 2027 so Lightning fans will be able to enjoy watching him play for a long time.
Kucherov is a lock to win the Art Ross Trophy and should get serious consideration for the Hart Trophy given to the league MVP.
But Kucherov knows what trophy is most importantly. In his post-game press conference after the game against Detroit, head coach Jon Cooper said Kucherov would trade all the scoring records for a chance to lift the Stanley Cup.
The individual accolades and individual awards are nice, but at the end of the day, everyone on this Lightning team knows what they are all playing for and that is to win the Stanley Cup.
Previous Snell named opening day starter and Duffy cant get on the field
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
February 03, 2011 Arts + Scene » Screens
Jason Statham Is Not Gay
Plus: More grim-faced characters light up Anthony Hopkins spookfest The Rite
By Charlie Myers
SANCTUM. A group of hot-shot spelunkers gets more than they bargained for when they explore "the mother of all caves." Inspired by the near-death experience of co-screenwriter Andrew Wight, who found himself trapped in an underwater cave. Shot in 3-D using the Fusion Camera System developed by James Cameron for Avatar. 103m. Rated R for language, some violence and disturbing images. Opening Friday in 3-D at the Broadway and the Fortuna, in 2-D at Mill Creek.
THE ROOMATE. College dorm life gets a bit scary for Sara (Minka Kelly, Friday Night Lights) after she's assigned to room with Rebecca (Leighton Meester, Country Stong), a needy, obsessive girl who has apparently gone off her meds. Young Danish filmmaker Christian E. Christiansen directed the psycho-thriller. Rated PG-13 for violence and menace, sexual content, some language and teen partying. Opening Friday at the Broadway and Mill Creek.
BLUE VALENTINE. Indie drama directed by Derek Cianfrance that's kind of the opposite of a rom-com: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are a couple shown at various points in a troubled relationship. Williams is up for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in the film. The band Grizzly Bear supplied the score. 120m. Rated R for strong graphic sexual content, language and a beating. Opening Friday at the Minor.
First Thursday Film Night this week at Morris Graves Museum features Bhutto, a fast-moving documentary by Duane Baughman and Johnny O'Hara about Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani prime minister who was assassinated during a political campaign in 2007.
Meanwhile, same night at the Arcata Theatre Lounge, Ocean Conservancy, Humboldt Surfrider and Humboldt Baykeeper present yet another Ocean Night. This month's enviro documentary is The Hudson Riverkeepers, looking at the three-decade-long battle to clean up of the Hudson River. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shows up; he's the Riverkeepers' lawyer. Sports Illustrated writer Bob Boyle is another player; he founded the Hudson River Fisherman's Association and took a river clean-up lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court, establishing an important precedent for environmental law. RFK Jr.'s dad, Sen. Robert Kennedy, is also shown talking with Walter Cronkite in The Majestic Polluted Hudson, a CBS documentary from 1965. The second feature, 180 South, is a surf/adventure doc about a journey to Patagonia. It follows Jeff Johnson and Chris Malloy as they retrace the route of a group of surfer/climbers, including Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins, who traveled from SoCal to the tip of South America in 1968. Chouinard and Tompkins were inspired by that trip to start up the outdoor gear companies Patagonia and The North Face.
Friday the ATL has Kill Bill Volume 2, the bloody conclusion of writer-director Quentin Tarantino's tale of The Bride (Uma Thurman) and her quest for revenge against her former boss, Bill (David Carradine). Saturday it's auteur Wes Anderson's stylized dry comedy homage to Jacques Cousteau, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, with Bill Murray as Zissou, an obsessed oceanographer out for revenge against a shark that ate someone from his crew.
Temple Beth El continues its "identity, diversity and inclusion" film series Saturday with Deborah Dickson's doc Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House, about a pair of working-class Jewish mothers from Brooklyn who broke new ground in the '50s when they fell in love and moved in together, then ended up suing the New York City Board of Education to get domestic partner benefits, paving the way for the marriage equality fight that's still being fought today.
Monday at the Arcata Library, Humboldt Health Care for All presents Sick Around the World, a PBS Frontline documentary comparing health care delivery in the UK, Japan, Taiwan, Germany and Switzerland with our own dysfunctional system.
-- Bob Doran
THE MECHANIC. Jason Statham films come with a sort of guarantee. His character will be a man of consummate action with a steely gaze that varies from manly determination to grim determination. Any hint of a smile would be a major violation of the pact his characters have with the target audience and any amusement purely internal, an unexpressed satisfaction that he has bested those out to thwart his goals. Killing people is simply a job that must be handled professionally and with detachment, rather like fitting a cap in a dentist's office. Just to forestall any sense of ambiguity about the character's sexuality, there is at least one scene where he has sex with a woman. Once that's out of the way, he can proceed to action with mechanical precision. And finally, of course, Statham's films always have the requisite mayhem, the true payoff that the viewer seeks.
The Mechanic, a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, should not disappoint fans. In this iteration of the Statham character, he is professional assassin Arthur Bishop, clearly an occupation that pays extremely well, given his lavish digs. But things get a little dicey early on when Bishop's relationship with colleague Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland, playing Donald Sutherland in a wheelchair) becomes a professional assignment.
The situation becomes even more complex when Bishop ends up playing a sort of father figure for Harry's son Steve, played with unsubtle surly intensity by Ben Foster (Pandorum), a relationship made more problematic for the solitary Bishop because of what Steve doesn't know about how his father died.
The film actually begins rather slowly in regard to violence: In the first hour there are only three killings and one savage beating, but the viewer should not despair as the last half of the film redeems itself.
For this viewer, it is the character of Steve McKenna that holds the most interest. I wondered, for example, about his excessive fondling of his gun barrels. But even more fascinating was the scene where he's given his first independent assignment, assassinating a rival hit man who happens to be physically imposing and gay with a weakness for a certain breed of small lap dogs and young guys. Despite explicit warnings from Bishop that Steve should kill the guy with an injection at the bar where they hook up, Steve goes home with the target and there ensues a very physical fight with a lot of body contact that ends when Steve penetrates his target's body with several implements including a screwdriver. The homoerotic aspects of the scene in regard to Steve's character are not dispelled when he has wham-bam 10-second sex in an alley with a woman, particularly when his main emotion during the act is disgust.
But, surely I'm over-reading here. After all, this is a guy action film isn't it? Oh, wait ... Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity. 92m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Fortuna.
THE RITE. Like Nicolas Cage, Anthony Hopkins has a tendency to perform parodies of himself in bad films, so I was prepared for some cloned version of a Hopkins character in The Rite. Happily, except perhaps for a hint of Hannibal Lecter toward the end, this does not prove to be the case here. Unhappily, The Rite still isn't a good film.
Based on the book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio, the film centers on Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue, Tudors TV series) who, as the story begins, is working for his father's mortuary business. Michael is restless, though, and decides to enter a seminary. Jumping ahead four years, Michael is graduating from the seminary but has deep doubts about his faith and decides to write a letter of resignation to mentor Father Matthew (Toby Jones) rather than take his final vows. Father Matthew, however, convinces Michael to go to Rome to study exorcism, a growing practice in the Roman Catholic Church, as possession seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.
Remaining deeply skeptical, Michael is sent to head exorcism honcho Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins) whose purpose is to convince Michael that demonic possession is real. He also befriends Angeline (Alice Braga), appropriately named, a journalist who is working on a story about exorcism and who is a skeptic as well. But his experiences with Lucas performing exorcisms just add to his doubts and he becomes convinced Lucas is a fake.
While the film has the requisite exorcism scenes, the story is actually about how Michael attains true faith and becomes a priest/exorcist himself. In fact, the exorcism scenes are tame by the standards of the genre, and the film is more interested in the path to faith than special effects. But while this theme is potentially interesting, the film often loses its way. The exorcisms seem repetitive and uninventive, causing the story to bog down much of the time.
I'm not sure who the audience for this film might be. Fans of exorcism movies are probably going to be disappointed in the relatively muted possession scenes, and the coming-to-faith aspects of the narrative are somewhat superficial and underdeveloped. While O'Donoghue is fairly solid, he doesn't find many shadings to his character. Hopkins is reliably Hopkins. In one respect, the film is similar to The Mechanic: Everyone looks very grim all the time. I guess this is how one achieves faith. Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references. 112m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Fortuna.
BLACK SWAN. Darren Aronofsky's latest features Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis competing for the top spot in the New York City ballet's production of Swan Lake. Sounds innocent enough, right? Rated R. 109m. At the Broadway and the Minor.
COUNTRY STRONG. Rising star Gwyneth Paltrow tries to resurrect her unstable beau Tim McGraw's country music career with a joint tour. Not. Rated PG-13. 117m. At the Broadway.
THE DILEMMA. Vince Vaughn sees his friend's wife with another man and wants answers. Hilarity ensues. Rated PG-13. 117m. At the Broadway.
THE FIGHTER. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale put aside sibling rivalry so they can train for an historic title bout. Rated R. 116m. At the Broadway.
THE GREEN HORNET. Charlie says: "It is surely the worst superhero movie ever." Rated PG-13. 119m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.
THE KING'S SPEECH. Based on the true story of the Queen of England's father and his remarkable friendship with a maverick Australian speech theripist. Colin Firth can taste that Oscar. Rated R. 119m. At the Broadway, the Minor and Mill Creek.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED. Let's have sex. Rated R. 108m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.
TANGLED. Disney checks the Rapunzel box off its "fairy tales to animate" list with its latest kid-seducing 3D computer generated release. Rated PG for brief, mild violence. 100m. At Broadway.
TRUE GRIT. The Dude conjures The Duke in the Coen Brother's latest outing. You decide who's Grittiest. Rated PG-13. 110m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.
YOGI BEAR. Mr. Ranger is not going to like this. And neither will you. Rated PG. 83m. At the Broadway.
Friends of the Arcata Marsh Lecture
The Day We Stormed the Capitol
Ladies and Gentlemen and Gangsters
Tags: Filmland
More Screens »
Charlie Myers
Charlie Says Farewell
With one good film and one lousy, Myers caps off his movie critic gig
Distinctive Drive
Crime saga is dead-right, Sarah's Key satisfies
by Charlie Myers and John J. Bennett
Spread It Around
Soderbergh's Contagion worth catching, Warrior grounds and pounds
Latest in Screens
Bridgerton and I'm Your Woman
By John J. Bennett
Good Movies from the Bitter End of 2020
Amazon Doesn't Deliver
The soft mess of Wonder Woman 1984
By Rae Robison


text:
Q: How to write CSV from a list of dictionaries I found a lot of posts about going from CSV to a list of dictionaries but not the other way around. I'm trying to write a csv file from a list of dictionaries, within each dictionary the keys are the same and there are equal number of pairings per dictionary. How would I go about using the keys for the header row?
edit: yes I've read the adam smith page with the DictWriter unfortunately, I don't know the key names ahead of time just that the names are the same across all dictionaries in the list.
ie. [{A:1,B:2},{A:3,B:4}]  into...
A,B
1,2
3,4
import csv

def function(list_of_dic,csvFileName):
  with open(list_of_dic,'w') as f:
    writer = csv.DictWriter(f)

A: import pandas as pd

data = [{'A': 5, 'B': 0, 'C': 3, 'D': 3},
        {'A': 7, 'B': 9, 'C': 3, 'D': 5},
        {'A': 2, 'B': 4, 'C': 7, 'D': 6}]

df = pd.DataFrame(data)
df = pd.DataFrame.from_dict(data)
df = pd.DataFrame.from_records(data)
df.to_csv("Filename.csv")

output:
 A  B  C  D
0  5  0  3  3
1  7  9  3  5
2  2  4  7  6

A: The DictWriter doc has a good example. Assuming you know the key names in advance, you use those as the fieldnames. And since you already have a list of dicts, writerows will consume them all.
import csv

def function(list_of_dic,csvFileName):
  with open(list_of_dic,'w') as f:
    writer = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=["A", "B", "C"])
    writer.writeheader()
    writer.writerows(list_of_dic)


text:
Home » x ~ Sub Features » Illinois' Chief Energy Regulator Brien Sheahan to Deliver Microgrid 2018 Keynote
Illinois' Chief Energy Regulator Brien Sheahan to Deliver Microgrid 2018 Keynote
March 9, 2018 By Sarah Rubenoff Leave a Comment
Brien Sheahan, chairman and CEO of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), will deliver the Microgrid 2018 keynote address, Tuesday, May 8 in Chicago.
Brien Sheahan, chairman and CEO of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)
Sheahan is known for the promotion of innovation and forward-looking regulatory policy in a variety of different industries in Illinois and nationally.
In addition to leading the Illinois commission, he chairs the Presidential Task Force on Innovation for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
Sheahan also serves on the NARUC Board of Directors, and speaks and publishes often on the role of state utility commissioners in modernizing the nation's utility infrastructure and regulatory structure.
Register here for Microgrid 2018, to be held in Chicago, May 7-9.
"It will be exciting for the audience of Microgrid 2018 to hear from Chairman Sheahan, particularly now, following the commission's recent approval of the ground-breaking Bronzeville microgrid. We are honored that he has accepted our invitation to keynote what's turning out to be the most exciting microgrid event yet," said Elisa Wood, editor-in-chief of Microgrid Knowledge, which is hosting the three-day conference.
Appointed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner on Jan. 20, 2015 for a five-year term, Sheahan led the commission through the approval of the $25 million Bronzeville microgrid — the first utility-scale microgrid cluster in the nation. The decision was issued February 28.
Bronzeville will be Illinois' second major utility microgrid. Ameren last year began operating a 1.475-MW microgrid in Champaign — which will be available for Microgrid 2018 attendees to tour.
"Illinois has emerged as a leader in microgrid development. Given the state's forward-thinking stance on distributed energy resources and clustering of microgrids, it is an ideal setting for Microgrid 2018," said Kevin Normandeau, publisher of Microgrid Knowledge.
In further moves from Sheahan to support alternative energy resources, he led the states' exploration of the "utility of the future" with a study called NextGrid. Sheahan has also headed up an agency that established a first-of-its kind Office of Cybersecurity and Risk Management and Office of Diversity and Community Affairs.
His background in government includes serving three Illinois Governors in senior leadership roles, and as general counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.
The Illinois Institute of Technology, part of the upcoming microgrid cluster
Microgrid 2018 attendees will gain insight into evolving industry models through expert speakers, interactive panel discussions, in-depth knowledge workshops, technology forums, tours of active microgrids, vendor booths and extensive networking opportunities.
Topics to be covered at Microgrid 2018 include the evolution of the microgrid business model, the future of the decentralized grid, microgrids and utilities, putting a value on energy resilience and much more.
The conference is hosted by Microgrid Knowledge, the largest microgrid news site on the web.
Microgrid 2017 sold out. Learn more, and register here for Microgrid 2018.
Special Alert: ComEd Wins Approval for Innovative Microgrid Cluster in Chicago
Don't Miss the Chance to Tour Ameren's Cybersecure Microgrid at Microgrid 2018
Illinois is the Grid Modernization Market to Watch: Report
Have You Seen These Microgrids? Here's Your Chance at Microgrid 2018
Five Reasons to Attend Microgrid 2018, an Energy Leaders Gathering
Filed Under: Editor's Choice, Events, Google News Feed, Microgrids, Policy, Resources, Utility, x ~ Sub Features Tagged With: Brien Sheahan, bronzeville microgrid, Microgrid 2018, microgrid cluster


Watch out for pro Proposition 8 terrorists! http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10984412. Those Mormons are adopting KKK tactics!
You guys had a very impressive run.
I never thought the Bolshevik approach would yield much, mind you, but you got a lot further than I had originally expected.
The 10,000 in LA Saturday pretty much signifies the deflating of the media balloon, at least for now, and that is probably a good thing.
The inevitable backlash would only be strengthened by further images of outrages such as that atrocity against the little old lady in Palm Springs.
I hear you are gathering signatures for Round III.
It wouldn't do to lead folks on about the fantasy of another Supreme Court stick save. Not this time.


text:
Q: tensorflow batch normalization gives doesn't work as expected when is_training flag is False I have a model in which I perform batch normalization after every convolutional layer expect the last one. I use the function tensorflow.contrib.layers.batch_norm function to do this. When I set the is__training flag as True the loss value that is reported seems correct. For my particular example, it starts at 60s and decreases to almost 0. When I set the is_training flag to flase I get my loss value in the order of 1e10 which seems absurd.
I have attached the snippet I use in my code.
loss=loss_func_l2(logits,y)
update_ops=tf.get_collection(tf.GraphKeys.UPDATE_OPS)
with tf.control_dependencies(update_ops):
  optimizer=tf.train.AdamOptimizer(learning_rate=lr)
  Trainables=optimizer.minimize(loss)
#Training
sess=tf.Session()
training(train_output,train_input,sess) # is_training is true here
#validation
validate(test_output,train_input,sess) # is_training is false here

What could be the reason?


The web server with the IP-address 216.251.43.6 used by Castor2.ca is owned by InternetNamesForBusiness.com and is located in Fort Lauderdale, USA. There are many websites run by this web server. The operator uses this server for many hosting clients. In total there are at least 133 websites on this server. The language of these websites is mostly english.


text:
MusicScene
S'pore jazz singer remembers her roots
ewenboey
Yahoo! Singapore speaks to the versatile and dynamic local jazz singer, Michelle. (Photo courtesy of Michelle)
Every first and third Wednesday of the month, Yahoo! MusicScene shines the spotlight on talented, up-and-coming Singaporean bands or musicians. This week, we catch up with jazz singer Michelle, who believes that it is good to remember where her roots lie.
Singapore jazz singer Michelle wants to retain her local characteristics while aiming to conquer global markets.
Already making her mark in Europe, the 35-year-old has performed with Grammy-nominated pianist Kenny Werner at the North Sea Jazz Festival, and was chosen by Michelle Weir (author of Vocal Improvisation) and Grammy-nominated Phil Mattson to demonstrate scat singing at the 2004 International Vocal Festival, Tilburg.
"There is a struggle to maintain who you are as a person, as a musician," Michelle told Yahoo! Singapore.
She also prides herself as a musician who does not follow trends and believes that she should stay true to how she wants to grow as a musician.
"It's very easy to get the record label to help shape me and mold me. I don't have to explore music on my own. Life would have been easier that way," she said.
Having started singing at the age of 5, Michelle is now a 'gig veteran' of about 20 years.
When performing both originals and covers with her band as Michelle and the Stuff Toys at BarStop along Devonshire Road, Lamborghini owners and successful entrepreneurs made up the profile of her audience who would specially make their way down to watch her performance.
"There was a guy who even rescheduled his business flight just to be back on time to see Michelle's performance," said her Dutch husband and manager, Theo, 41.
Even though she has done many gigs, Michelle confessed that she is extremely selective about the venue and type of audience she performs to.
"There are a lot of places where you don't even have to prepare for a performance, because the audience is not there for the music. That's the kind of place we don't want to perform," said Theo, who is also a filmmaker.
Her target audience are people who like the artiste to do things in an original way.
"Who are you as an original artiste?" and "Can I hear your own version of this song?" are the questions Michelle wants to hear from her audience, as opposed to "Can you please do that song by so-and-so?".
"I also require the venue to provide a grand piano," she added.
Playing music that contains a hint of jazz and soul, it also draws elements from various other genres like blues and pop.
"Actually, I never liked the jazz description because of the image it will give Singaporeans," said the vocal instructor, who currently teaches vocals in Raffles Music College.
"Here, the type of jazz most people refer to is swing jazz, but what I do is more dynamic."
Currently making a comeback from a one-year hiatus, Michelle has chosen to gig less these days as she explains that by gigging too much, her artistic growth would be hampered.
"A lot of bands remain stagnant artistically because they gig too much. However they are caught in this money issue, and if it comes solely from singing gigs, then they're caught in a bind.
Having taught vocals for at around 10 years now, Michelle trained as a teacher for three years and was formerly plying her trade in the Lasalle College of the Arts.
She considers her role as a vocal instructor to be on par as her career as an artiste, and takes pride in her area of specialisation.
"If you're just an artiste, you cannot just come out and 'teach' people how to sing. You need to understand how the body functions and to press which buttons," she said.
The jazz siren is set to release a new album later in the year and to start gigging again in a yet-to-be-announced venue.
In the meantime, watch the video release of a song for her upcoming album:
Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Elon Musk shrugs off criticism that he has helped India censor BBC's Modi documentary
Indian government ordered YouTube and Twitter to block content related to BBC's two-part series using emergency powers
Ex-paratrooper set to sweep Czech presidential vote against ex-PM
Polling stations opened Friday for the Czech presidential election run-off in which retired NATO general Petr Pavel is expected to beat billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis.Pavel won the endorsement of several parties in the governing centre-right coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, while Babis secured backing from long-time ally Zeman, whose last term expires in March.
Teacher's home becomes school in destroyed Ukraine village
Teacher Oleksandr Pogoryelov occasionally strolls up the sloping road to the school in his village in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine where he taught for more than two decades.Parents have been supportive, he said, but the village is emblematic of tensions in many communities in the Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists had been fighting Ukrainian forces for years.


Add a burst of botanics to your nightwear selection with this pretty pink pyjama set. Styled with a striped base, the comfy duo features an all-over vintage inspired floral print. The short sleeve tee is cut with a round neckline, whilst the matching bottoms feature cuffed ankles. Perfect for chilled evenings spent on the sofa.


text:
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					PagedListRequest

Interface PagedListRequest

Represents parameters of request to the server to retrieve list data.

You can use this contract in your end-user code for better code completion.

Hierarchy

						ListRequest

								PagedListRequest

Index

Properties

skip

sortings

take

Properties

skip

skip: number

Defined in contracts/paged-list-request.ts:11

Number of items already loaded to the list that must be skipped on next request.

sortings

sortings: SortParameter[]

Inherited from ListRequest.sortings

Defined in contracts/list-request.ts:11

Sortings, which must be applied to the data.

take

take: number

Defined in contracts/paged-list-request.ts:15

Number of items that must be loaded on next request.

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text:
Apollo Tyres is one of India's Best Workplaces
in the Manufacturing Sector
Great Place to Work Institute ranked the company in top 10 workplaces
Great Place to Work Institute has identified Apollo Tyres, India's leading tyre maker, as one of India's Best Workplaces in Manufacturing – 2018. The company is ranked among the top 10 workplaces in the manufacturing segment in India. Apollo Tyres has been rated highly for its transparency in performance management process, especially the variable pay, and the employee development programmes.
Commenting on the rankings, Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd said, "I would like to congratulate all Apolloites for securing this prestigious recognition. This ranking betters our previously secured top positions in the Auto Components space. Guided by our core value of 'One Family', the work on people agenda is a continuum at Apollo Tyres, and is always accorded top priority. We have grown to become an Indian Multinational, and our people policies have been on a fast track mode as well, propelling the career aspirations of many high performing candidates."
A total of 106 Indian manufacturing companies participated in this year's Great Place to Work Institute's survey, involving more than 37,000 employees, which takes into account employees' perspectives and assigns two-third weightage to the voice of employees. The balance one-third weightage is assigned to people practices implemented across the organisation. Basis this, the top 25 best workplaces in the manufacturing sector were identified.
Apollo Tyres currently has four manufacturing facilities in India -- two (including a leased facility) in the rubber-producing state of Kerala, and one each in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, and is in the process of setting-up a Greenfield unit in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of Rs 1800 crores in the first phase. The company employs around 16000 people globally.


The San Francisco Community Land Trust is a membership-based, non-profit dedicated to creating " permanently affordable, resident-controlled housing for low- to moderate-income people (up to 120% AMI) in San Francisco through community ownership of the land." The San Francisco Community Land Trust was incorporated in 2003. The Land Trust grew out of earlier efforts to form a San Francisco Community Land Trust Collaborative in 2001.
A land trust is a legal entity that allows a non-profit agency or third party to have ownership of a piece of land for purposes of conservation (or alternatively for immense private benefit). A community land trust (CLT) is a model of affordable housing that provides for rent stabilization and resident governance and eventual resident equity. The community land trust model has it's origins in post-colonial India, and was later imported into the United States in order to help poor African American families with housing. While CLTs have long been popular in American midwest and suburbia, the Bay Area has been leading the development of these models in dense multi-family urban areas.
Under the CLT model, a Land Trust organization first pools together funds, most often available in the form of government backed affordable home loans. These funds are then used to buy out a house or apartment complex. After the house acquisition has occurred, residents of the building will form a non-profit and acquire a lease from the land trust. This structure provides for rent stabilization, guaranteeing residents displacement free housing. Some land trust structures also allow for resident equity and eventual buyout.
In San Francisco, this model has been attempted in large collective houses, apartment complexes, and commercial historical real estate.
Add new "community land trust"


text:
It's Not Finished Yet
Ahn, Chang Hong and 안창홍1988
Korean Art Museum Association
Title: It's Not Finished Yet
Creator: Ahn, Chang Hong, 안창홍
Physical Dimensions: w360 x h220 x d150 cm
Type: Painting
Medium: Terracotta
Korean Artist Project: Ahn, Chang Hong is one of 21 outstanding artists selected by the Korean Artist Project. The Korean Artist Project is a global online website which aims to promote Korean contemporary artists hosted by the Ministy of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Korea and organized by the Korean Art Museum Association. KAP has launched with a three-year plan spanning from 2011 to 2013. At the first step in 2011, art professionals and critics selected 21 artists, and curators from 13 private art museums organized their virtual solo exhibitions. KAP would love to introduce a diverse spectrum of Korean contemporary art to the global audience. Through these efforts, KAP will play a significant role in the promotion and development of Korean contemporary art. Also, the KAP will become a useful platform, which will serve as a stepping-stone to create cultural exchange and global networks with diverse art people. Please visit www.koreanartistproject.com
Critic's Note: Gazing into the AbyssChan HongAhn gazes into abyss, draws up whatever it is we may have wished to have remained submerged, and poses a question as to our next move.With the 1980s, popular art touching on social themes and the role of art within society grew ever more prominent. Come the 1990s, the Olympics and political democratization led to dynamic, diverse cultural phenomena. Apace with such social trends, art has also made significant progress. Amidst these developments, Ahn expressed his views by participating in 'Reality and Utterance,' a leading group representing the popular art movement. However, soon began to cement a position as an artist tenacious in maintaining his own voice and refusing to conform, something which developed amidst complex and multi-layered circumstances and that has earned him a place in the history of modern art. This also indicated that at a time when forms of public activism centering around terms such as 'collective uniqueness,' 'the group' and 'the movement' were given preeminence, the path he chose was one of difficulty and loneliness. Still, he persists in speaking out against violence committed against the socially disadvantaged; those who vanished under the banner of the modernization and development of Korean society in a forceful drive reminiscent of a bulldozer, as well as the true face of the power behind it all. This is not to say that the images he portrays on the screen represent a dry documentation of facts or an over-emotional exposé; they are in fact a record of the victims of authority and their souls. Hence, both photography and the body, as vessels and representations of the soul, appear on the screen as effective testaments to the extent and significance of this damage. (This is an excerpt from an original text.)
Face of Painful
Seated Male Figure
Seated female with Patterned Skirt and Face Paint
Dhup Yantra (diagramme)
Calcium Sandoz Forte, Lab. Sandoz
Bust of Woman
kneeling angel (1 of a pair)
Seated Male Chewing Coca (coquero)


text:
Panjab Digital Library - Digitization of Bhai Taru Singh Di Shaheedi
Bhai Taru Singh Di Shaheedi
Description Bhai Taru Singh (1720-1745) a celebrated Sikh martyr who sacrificed his life to defend his faith is the hero of many a poetic ballads and legendary tales. Accused of aiding and harbouring Sikh militants during the governorship of Punjab under Zakariya Khan, he was scalped alive and tortured brutally. The present volume sings the Sikh martyr's sacrifices in the popular folklorist 'qissa' style of poetry written in rhyming racy couplets, it narrates the biographical details, his service to the Sikh crusaders, his arrest and his final execution. The stance of the composition is highly emotive and heart moving. Its recitation is likely to cast a spell on the audience[edit]
Keywords Qissa, Shaheed, Taru Singh, Nawab, Gurdwaras, Shubeg Singh, Khalsa, Amrit, [edit]
Publisher Unknown
Custodian Pritam Singh, Prof.


The Charles Wells Science Fiction and Fanzine Collection consists of two boxes that contains materials ranging from 1952-1992. Box 1 contains four books by Sam Moskowitz, Robert Bloch, Bertram Chandler, and Harry Warner, Jr. respectively. Box 2 contains incomplete volumes of the following: Fancyclopedia II (1959), Quandry (1950-1953), Scifi 5 Yearly (1951), Slant (1952/3), inlcuding a copy of Arthur Thomson's Atom Anthology, a 10th Anniversary World Science-Fiction Convention Program (1952); and a folder with a copy of Fiendetta #2 (1952), The Chattahoochee, Okefenokee, and Ogeechee Occasional Gazette cominbed with the Wassaw and Ossabaw Backwater Journal and Tangent plus rotogravure-type section: a la Tabunko with added feature portions of Luna Pono, an incomplete copy of The Polaroid Diary, A Fanzine with Depth (1953), and loose pages from unidentified zines.
Charles Wells Science Fiction and Fanzine Collection, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa. http://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/repositories/2/resources/2637 Accessed April 23, 2019.


Items where Author is "EKA MULIA SARI , NIM. 10680005"
EKA MULIA SARI , NIM. 10680005 (2014) PENGEMBANGAN BUKU PETUNJUK PRAKTIKUM IPA TERPADU TEMA INTERAKSI MAKHLUK HIDUP DENGAN LINGKUNGAN BERBASIS CLOCK REACTION UNTUK SMP/MTs. Skripsi thesis, UNIVERSITAS ISLAM NEGERI SUNAN KALIJAGA.
This list was generated on Fri Apr 19 19:43:15 2019 WIB.